Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Of Concerns

Questions started popping into Gabrielle’s mind only after she had already trotted her way into the forest. How did Arianna know this much? Was she also a Demiurge, or maybe she met one in the past? How long had she known this whole thing? And had she ever seen a Rune as well…? So many details had escaped her, and they didn’t really make her stop and turn around but they did make Gabi slow down for a second.

 

These had to be the days in which she had questioned the most things in all of her life, so maybe it would be a good idea to try and remember those ideas to interrogate the nun after talking to Baraqiel. But she had to do that first: she needed to tell Baraqiel all that she had learned! Gabrielle was eager to be rewarded and praised for all of it!

 

Without turning around once she walked into the old Miner Camp and went straight to the decrepit shed, peeking in first to make sure the young not-angel wasn’t sleeping or trying to rest. The young child, luckily, awake and active when Gabi’s head poked through the doorway; in fact, they almost jumped out of surprise when she arrived.

 

“Gods! Don’t spook me like that, Gabi!” Baraqiel protested, pouting and properly sitting up after their little body had bounced on the ground. Their legs still refused to work properly. “What is going on?” 

 

“Bari, you have to hear this out! I bring news, a lot of news!” Gabrielle said right in front of Baraqiel with eager, glimmering eyes. “Are you ready to listen? Do you have time?”

 

The not-angel frowned for a moment, but feeling Gabrielle’s intensity they just decided to nod and listen intently, as Gabrielle tried to pick the role of narrator with nervous, jerking gestures.

 

Okay, so long ago there was this tree! It was… uh… it was somewhere. In a place very far away but, I am not sure what place it was. I think it was a forest? No, no, it was a desert! A big desert, and there is a tree in there okay? The tree is important, it’s huge and massive, and it has big branches and leaves, and the roots go very deep in. I am not sure if it is a sort of tree we know though? It may be a new kind of tree, one that can grow in deserts— Have you heard about deserts before though, Bari? They have no water, and they go on forever! What kind of tree can even grow like that?

 

“Gabrielle.” Baraqiel interrupted her with a slow, deep breath. Be patient, be patient. “Please focus. There’s a tree, okay. And it is in a desert. Why is this important?”

 

Okay, so the tree is big, it is huge and it is in a desert, and it has like rivers going out of it! Rivers with souls floating on them–or were the rivers souls themselves? The point is that that’s where all souls come from, yours and mine too! So we are like soul siblings!

 

Bari blinked a few times. This babbling did sound familiar to them, but at the same time the explanation wasn’t doing any favors trying to tie this to any stories they may have heard before.

At their silence, Gabrielle simply decided to continue rambling.

 

Okay, so the important thing is that we all come from it, okay? The river, that is in the tree and comes out of the tree? We come from there. And as we come from there, sometimes we remember the tree! And— oh that’s right! That’s the important part!

 

Gabi stopped all of a sudden to turn around herself, as if she could see anyone inside of that shed. Then, she leaned a bit closer to loudly “whisper” to Baraqiel.

 

“That’s where magic comes from.”

 

“Wait, what? Magic comes from the river?” The not angel tilted their head.

 

“No!” Gabrielle frowned and shook her head twice. “It comes from the tree! Remember the thingy you drew?”

 

“It’s kind of hard to forget.” Baraqiel confessed, “So you are saying that I draw the tree?”

 

“No, no!” Gabi grumbled, “The tree has things drawn all over it, it has those Runes shining very bright inscribed on its bark and, when you are magic, you remember one of them!”

 

Bari frowned as information was processed, clicking as they suddenly understood why that madman was working with so many children at once: If what Gabrielle said was true, he was clearly trying to find all of the symbols he could from that tree, using the children to “remember” them with that strange machine of sorts…

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“What do you do with these though?” They asked, more to themselves than to Gabrielle, “Why would he want them all?”

 

“He wants to become an Angel, that’s what all Demiurges do!” Gabrielle answered with a proud smirk and a lifted nose, crossing both arms in front of her chest. “That’s why we have to stop him!”

 

Baraqiel wasn’t fully convinced, but they were clearly taking their time with these ideas, gently rubbing under their chin for a moment before suddenly realizing quite the important detail.

 

“How did you even learn all of this, Gabi? Did that nun tell you these things?”

 

“Yes and no.” Nodded rapidly. “I read it in a shiny book I found in the Demiurge’s room! I got inside there, it was so ace!”

 

The not-angel could feel a sudden cold feeling on their neck, anger rising at the same time as concern for this girl’s wellbeing. Their expression grew severe, feverish and angry to the point that even Gabrielle could recognize the feeling in that face, flinching and quickly looking down at her hands.

 

“...Was that the wrong thing to do?”

 

For a second the child just wanted to yell at this girl, let out everything in their lungs at once! Their patience for tomfoolery was limited, and there was quite a difference between giving silly names and risking her own keister in the room of the most dangerous person either of them knew.

 

But, they took a moment to breathe again. No, it wouldn’t do any good to simply yell at this girl! All that would accomplish is to make her cry, or who knows what else… just like when the damn man yelled at them. Again they were taking after the Demiurge without even noticing— Baraqiel felt their stomach churn in repulsion, they’d rather die than start emulating him…

 

So, they breathed again, rubbing their temples and shaking their head.

 

“Yes, it was Gabi… but, it’s good that you are safe.” They tried to look at the good side of it. Gabrielle visibly relaxed. “You can’t just get yourself in harm’s way like that, understood? If the Demiurge caught you, what do you think would have happened?”

 

“I would probably be dead.” Gabrielle said, matter of factly.

 

“Exactly… promise me you’ll think twice before doing something that dangerous!” Bari demanded with a frown. “Add it to the Covenant, okay? We will take of ourselves, just like we take care of each other.”

 

The girl doubted, knowing herself a bit better than a few days ago, she was aware that thinking wasn’t exactly her forté, much less thinking twice before doing things! But, she was confident that with enough training it should be easy to achieve. Gabrielle was about to talk, to finally accept, when suddenly a voice barked from outside the shed, freezing both children in place.

 

“BARAQIEL, GET OUT OF THERE THIS INSTANT! YOU TOO, GABRIELLE!!”

 

A masculine, rugged voice made demands without a hint of mercy in their words. 

 

It was the voice of the Demiurge.

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